After doing some research on the forum I now realize that my chrome clad wheels are not chrome over aluminum but plastic over aluminum. So in light of this information I am looking for a decent wheel to replace the "chrome" ones that came on my WK. I've searched on craigslist and found a few people selling Rubicon wheels in my area with the correct bolt pattern but i understand that these require spacers to clear the front calipers. I don't plan on lifting my Jeep anytime soon and if I do anything suspension related it would be new struts that would only lift it <1".
So my question is, what is a good wheel that would allow me to put a 255/65/17 size tire on my jeep without shaving, cutting, or hammering anything for clearance? Will these Rubicon wheels work without doing the above mentioned mods? Will the spare tire fit in place of the current spare?

AEV Pintlers don't require any of the mods you mentioned and do not require spacers. That size spare tire will fit if you don't have the factory hitch. You MAY have to trim the hitch bolts if you do have a hitch.

Update: I'm getting ready to order the AEVs in the coming weeks. As I said in the OP, I'm looking at 255/65/17 tires and don't really have too much experience with A/T tires. I had Wrangler Silent Armors on my Explorer which were nice, anything else I need to know before I order tires? Do I need to recalibrate the speedo with such a minimal tire change?